It was only about 10 years ago that the first expats actually chose to accept work assignments in Dubai without having to be lured there with the promise of ’emergency money’ – and really only in the last five years has Dubai transformed into the glittering metropolis where apparently everyone dreams of living, working and owning real estate nowadays.
So what is it really like to live in Dubai? Is it all about glamorous parties and designer shopping, sunbathing on pristine beaches, and making the most of a tax-free salary?
Well, there are two sides to living in Dubai: the good side of life and the bad side of life.
On the bright side of life in Dubai
On the good side, it has fantastic weather where the sun shines and temperatures are comfortable from October to June inclusive. It has the aforementioned pristine beaches that have white sand shorelines and are safe for swimming in the seas and where you can even join a beach pup and be cared for hand and foot. There is an astonishing lack of crime apart from some petty theft in Dubai because the punishment for petty crime is very harsh and yes, you can enjoy a 100% tax-free salary.
With that salary, you can shop till you drop at a host of duty-free shops: you can buy designer clothes, gold and jewelry, electronics, even cars or furniture. Gasoline is also virtually duty-free, making getting around cheap, and the general lifestyle enjoyed by the vast majority of people in Dubai is unbelievably good.
On the bad side of life in Dubai
It costs a small fortune to buy a house in Dubai and it costs about the same to rent a house or an apartment. In fact, property prices in Dubai are so high that the government was recently forced to put a cap on the rate at which rental rates can increase annually, as they faced a pending homelessness issue, as that even those with good salaries found it almost impossible to get housing
In an attempt to move to areas where there is more affordable housing, more people are commuting which has created a gridlock on the roads and driving in Dubai is frighteningly horrible – people are disregarding road safety, they go on at 100mph , blindly overtaking corners, hitting highways and generally taking life in your hands on the roads of Dubai.
Summer temperatures regularly reach over 40 degrees Celsius and humidity can exceed 80%, making it uncomfortable for most and unbearable for some. When the temperatures soar the drains stink because Dubai has grown much faster than its infrastructure has been improved and the roads are crumbling under the weight of the excess traffic and the drains cannot cope with the amount of people now they live in Dubai.
There is definitely a bright side and a bad side to life in Dubai, but most people find that the lifestyle, location, views, sunny weather, and decent wages outweigh any of the negatives, which is why which Dubai has one of the fastest. growing expatriate populations around the world.